Hungary is channelling around two million cubic metres of water into the park's largest marshland, Fekete-rét (Black Meadow), through the Nyugati irrigation canal to replenish wetlands affected by prolonged dry conditions.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site in eastern Hungary is home to vast plains and wetlands that provide a vital breeding ground and stopover for tens of thousands of migratory birds travelling between Europe and Africa.
Lajos Gál, a regional manager at the Hortobágy National Park Directorate, said the area began the year with an unusually large water deficit following an exceptionally dry spring.
"Without this ecological water replenishment, the entire area would be completely dry by now," he said.
The marshland first dried out in 2013 and suffered even greater damage during the severe drought of 2022, when more than 800 hectares were destroyed by wildfire.
Park officials say climate change and declining rainfall are not only shrinking wetlands but also altering the migration patterns of many bird species.
Gál said warmer winters have caused birds to return earlier and over a longer period, rather than in large seasonal migrations. He also said some species that were common decades ago have largely disappeared, while others, including the pygmy cormorant, have become increasingly established in the area.
The Hortobágy wetlands provide critical nesting and breeding habitat before many birds begin their migration to Africa later in the year.
Conservationists say emergency water transfers are only a temporary solution and have called for broader measures to retain more of the water flowing into Hungary.
They argue that protecting wetlands is essential not only for biodiversity but also for maintaining local microclimates and supporting groundwater levels as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of droughts across Central Europe.
More than 100,000 people entered Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan between 19 July and 1 August, increasing pressure on communities and humanitarian ...
Georgia has wrapped up one of its busiest periods of foreign policy activity in years, with almost all of it focused on Central Asia....
Türkiye's ruling alliance on Wednesday (5 August) submitted a bill to parliament aimed at advancing peace with the outlawed PKK by offering legal pro...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 5th of August, covering the latest developments.
U.S. President Donald Trump said there was an "all-day negotiation" on Tuesday with Iran, characterising the talks positively while also threatening to hit Iran "really hard" if a deal was not reached.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, two key maritime chokepoints in the region, decreased significantly from the previous day, according to shipping data.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 6th of August, covering the latest developments.
Kazakhstan’s main oil export corridor was disrupted by drone strikes near Russia’s Black Sea coast in July, forcing a temporary suspension of crude loadings and raising fresh concerns over the vulnerability of regional energy infrastructure to the war in Ukraine.
Flash floods in Gansu Province in China's northwest last week killed 25 people and injured 23 more, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday, raising earlier death tolls.
Three firefighters have died as wildfires continue to burn across Greece, with Crete facing a second day of intense blazes driven by strong winds. The fires come as Europe battles destructive wildfires fuelled by extreme heat and drought.
An impending "super" El Niño is likely to inflict a combined $10 billion to $20 billion hit on affected African countries and trigger mass migration from hard-hit areas, the African Development Bank's (AfDB) top climate expert said.
Brazil has banned the production and sale of foie gras, the French delicacy made from fattened duck or goose liver. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a law late Thursday aimed at ending force-feeding in the country's foie gras industry and stopping imports.
At least 82 people have died after heavy rain triggered devastating floods across northeastern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan this week, with widespread damage to homes, farmland and infrastructure.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment